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Retro-Futurism
Retro-Futurism (or simply RF) is a style of music and culture that appeared in Kalistan around the turn of the 45th century, and has since gained widespread acceptance and critical acclaim in Kalistan's dynamic music scene. Featuring overt sexuality and explicit drug use, the music is popular among urban college-aged youth in Kalistan. Most cities with college student populations feature a RF scene. Retro-Futurism fetishizes past conceptions of their "future", or the current present. According to music critic Máximo Saavedra, "Retro-Futurism becomes fantastic when the viewer remembers that the present is the past's future, and the future conception held by the past never actually came to fruition". Members of the RF community seek to live out past conceptions of the present rather than the present which actually exists in reality. Saavedra states "the result is a bizarre mixture of drugs, sex and technology which is not actually present outside the RF scene". Aside from a musical genre, RF is a fashion and cultural trend in Kalistan. Fans of RF especially drive clothing trends, and while few if any of the songs sing about robots or technology, or even the "future", technological aesthetics have caught on in the scene. Women frequently dress scantily at RF shows, adopting an overly-sexualized feminine appearance, while men focus on displays of traditional masculinity, utilizing over-the-top costumes that include sequins, lightning bolt symbols, shoulderpads, faux-militaristic "uniforms" and other "campified" versions of "traditional masculinity" in society. Drug use is typical within most RF scenes, and sexual intercourse, both heterosexual and homosexual, is common. Retro-Futurism as a Cultural Phenomenon RF Culture has three key elements: Drugs, Aesthetics and Sexuality. Drugs Interestingly, it was the return of the Socialist Party of Kalistan that fueled the rise of Retro-Futurism in Kalistan. As the Socialist Party returned to power, and re-initiated the Organization of Drug Exporting Nations, drugs became widely available once more in Kalistan. Before the return of ODEN, drug use was a matter of nostalgia: Though drugs were, for the most part legal, most drugs were heavily regulated and their supply limited by the Government. ODEN's return signaled a return to nearly free, and nearly infinite supply of a next-to limitless variety of drugs, pharmaceuticals and natural medicines throughout Kalistan. The flood of drugs into the infant RF scene drove a very rapid evolution in the scene itself. Within months of the refounding of ODEN in Odufaray, drug use at RF clubs and shows became ubiquitous. Preferred drugs of RF men and women focused mostly on sensory enhancers: MDMA was particularly popular, as was psilocybin, crystal meth, cocaine and DMT. LSD was more popular with older scene members, though the youth complained that the trip associated with LSD prevented them from fully experiencing the scene, and was far too cerebral. Marijuana was rarely used in the RF scene for a half a decade. The primary function of drugs in the scene was to increase the duration that RF club goers could dance and have a good time. Contrary to popular belief, drugs were almost never widely used to alter the human sexual response. Most RF club goers spend hours on the packed dance floors across Kalistan as often as possible. Depressants, including opium derivatives, various pharmaceuticals and alcohol are rarely used among RF fans. Marijuana is used primarily in derivative scenes around Dub Hop and RF Funk. Aesthetic The aesthetic of RF culture focuses on explicit sexual themes. Women tend to wear lots of make up over non-standard parts of their face and body, to accentuate their sexuality, but for the most part, their clothing is often understated, skin tight or sheer. The archetype of the RF woman is the female sexbot. Meanwhile, RF men tend to wear eccentric clothing which features sholderpads, faux military insignia, lots of sequins and reflective flotsam, and symbols of electricity and technology. It is not uncommon for men in the scene to dress as chrome covered robots from head to toe. The function of the clothing is to identify with a fictionalized or alternative present. Most RF scenesters are fascinated with old ideas of how the future would be. They sit around and comment on, in good spirit, the mispredictions of previous generations with regard to their future which is actually the Present, and critique the remarkably static nature of modern technological development. A Common RF saying is: "A Car has had 4 wheels for 4000 years." This saying connotes the fact that "revolutionary" things usually involve simply repackaging, and therefore, there is nothing to get all worked up about when someone comes around selling reform: Often it's more of the same. Inherent in the dress of the subculture is a subtle rejection of postmodern society. Young Women are told that they should not flaunt their sexuality, that it can lead them to trouble. Men are told to dress respectfully and conservatively. And so both groups embrace highly campified versions of traditional clothing and behavior norms. Both understand it is done as a critique on the prevalent gender norms in society, and both groups do so enthusiastically. RF aesthetic mocks prevailing sexual norms, and therefore sets itself up as a progressive, youth movement aimed at deconstruction. Sexuality The RF scene is highly sexualized. Not only do the clothing and makeup choices of scene goers tend to suggest sex, but the drugs which are prevalent open their users up to suggestion about sex. In all RF clubs, sexuality is open, and many clubs have had to enforce a strict "no public sex" policy, in the interest of sanitation, though more private spaces are almost always a feature of RF Clubs. Most of the songs sing about sex, or have strong sexual themes. Much of the sexuality is based in science-fiction and fantasy. There is a surprisingly low incidence, however of non-consensual sex within most RF scenes, much lower than the average of the society at large. This decreased incidence is due, according to many sociologists, to the camp nature of sexuality in the RF scene. "The more ridiculous a person appears, the greater their popularity within their respective scenes," wrote Sociologist Henrietta Gong, who studies subcultures and has written definitive research on RF culture. "On its face, it's kind of hard to get over the sheer insanity of some of these people's get ups. "Consequently, there is no shaming which is associated with traditional gender roles in societies, even those as libertarian as Kalistan. Nobody needs to worry about not 'pairing up' if they want to, and nobody's gender is questioned. Sometimes men will appear at an RF show in complete drag, including the use of prosthesis, or women may show up dressed as 'Qing The Merciless.' And that person will not be mocked, but will be welcomed with open arms by an extremely accepting scene. Consequently, there is no discernible 'will to power' within the RF scene, and violations of a sexual nature are virtually non-existent. In fact, they would most certainly lead to severe ostracism from the community if they did occur." Gender norms being tied to one's aesthetic appearance rather than one's biological sex leads to frequent sexual activity among members of the same sex, though few who engage in same-sex encounters would accept the label of "gay". In fact, the degree of actual homosexuality in the RF communities is the same as in the general population, however the frequency of same-sex sexual intercourse is perhaps 5 times higher among those who are members of the subculture. Development of Retro-Futurism The development of the musical genre has occurred over the last 350 years of Kalistani History, and is closely associated with Alternative and Electronic Dance Music genres. Proto-Retro-Futurism, ca. 4075-4397 The first bands which could be construed as "proto-RF" bands were more like Alternative Electronic bands which were heavily influenced by psychedelics. Bands such as Louisie Sue and Dave and Jim Short and the Miserable 5 often combined ambient tonality with electronica or alternative rock to produce some element of a futuristic sound. In addition, they often focused on topics that were later utilized by RF artists, such as hope in hopelessness, space and time, and an almost nihilistic love of the present. Bands like The Miserable 5 came at their music from a rock-and-roll angle. What is now called proto-retro-futurism was featured during early Ganjams, especially in showcases that featured psychedelic rock and electronic music The production techniques of the RF sound were taken from Dub Reggae which began to develop in Kalistan in the 4000's. Dub was heavily produced, included a lot of delays and scratching, as well as heavily synthesized rhythm sections. More importantly, some dub was produced as ambient sounds, with the bright sounds clipped to create an effect like the music was coming in from a different dimension. While most dub only employed that production effect occasionally, and then rarely for a whole song, the technique was later borrowed by the ambient electronica and rock genres, especially among Kalistani artists to create music that was designed to be played in the background of parties or while people were sleeping. The prevalence of the dull warm bass guitar from dub, as well as the 3 dimensional layering effects of most Dub found their way directly into later RF music. The biggest single influence in RF was Electronica, which featured almost exclusively synthesized music, "4 on the Floor" time signatures, and muted vocals. Dominant themes were club life, partying, heavy and indiscriminate drug and alcohol use, overt sexuality, and escapism. EDM was never really big in Kalistan: it always seemed overshadowed by Alternative Rock or Reggae. Some EDM artists scored major hits: in 4350, EDM artists Men Are Always Ready Somewhere (MAARS) scored a major hit called "MAARS Need Women" which featured several well-known samples from Hip Hop music and Sci-Fi movies. With all elements in place, RF was ready to launch onto the world. Retro-Futurism is Born, 4397 The first true Retro-Futurist song ever released was Kelly Minelli's "Can't Get You Off of My Mind", released in December of 4397. Minelli was a pop and EDM artist, who had modest success 15 years before with a cheesy cover of some ancient dance tune. Minelli released a number of albums, all of which barely broke even, before she teamed up with EDM producer Guisseppi Thomas and former club DJ Katherine Deonte, and recorded the monster hit "Can't Get You Off of My Mind." Minelli said of the song before it was released: "Yeah, we've got some great tracks on this record. There's one, which is kind of avant garde, and I really don't know how it will play with audiences today. I think my producers and I really wanted to kind of do it the way Dub is done, were, it sounds muted, and just soft, but also really hard thumping, you know. I kind of like it, but I don't know if it will go anywhere." In fact, the song itself took off and scored Minelli the biggest hit of her entire career. More than the song itself, which is called the "First Retro-Futurist Song", was her video for the song. The video featured images of a fictionalized near future landscape. High Rise buildings, fast but retro looking cars, and dancing robot men and women are featured in the video, along with a highly-sexualized avatar of Minelli herself singing the tune. "Yeah, that's not me," she said in an interview in 4398 about the song. "I'm not all kinky and turned on like that. I'm very conservative sexually actually. That woman up there is the me I would be if I was not me." Minelli's video, and the fan culture that developed as musicians rushed to copy her formula and EDM artists made the switch to the new genre, was ground breaking for RF. At first, most dance musicians included nods to RF culture on a few songs on their albums. It was not until 4408 that entire RF albums were being produced. The first complete RF album was by a Neveras band named Das Crack called "Das Crack- Dance". With the arrival of Das Crack, all of the sonic and aesthetic elements of RF were in place for a major breakout of the genre. Modern RF Retro Futurism has swept a whole generation of Kalistani youth. Today, RF music is on the top ten charts of all major genres, with the exception of Reggae and Adult Alternative. Within the last 5 years, RF songs have hit Number 1 in the country more than 22 times, and RF concerts sell out across the country. The Ganjam began featuring RF music on "L Night" and it is rumored that a RF band will headline the Ganjam within the next 5 years. Organizers are hesitant, however: Said one: "It's simple. We cannot be responsible for a 100,000 person orgy." RF Music RF bands do not usually participate in the shenanigans of their concert goers. Most of the female singers do not accentuate their sexuality the way their female fans do. Said famous RF singer Celia Tyson-Maria, "No, I don't want all that to distract. I use drugs, but not before a show. After a show, until the next one, yeah, but these girls out here are crazy! No, I have to focus and I don't want a bunch of robots staring at my chest and my ass while I am trying to do a set of 17 high energy songs." Other female RF artists echo Tyson-Maria's statement. Male RF artists, however do it up for their shows. Das Crack is known to be a "half robot Band", though the two members who wear Robot helmets are actually Dundorfian DJs named Jens Grueber and Georg Schmidt-Stauber. Grueber and Schmidt-Stauber both settled in Kalistan in 4407, and proceeded to recruit Phonics Jones and Roland Horace-Carrangus to sing and play guitar respectively in their band. Das Crack is one of the biggest names on the RF Scene, and they fully embrace the futuristic male robot aesthetic. Musically, RF is not EDM. The music is influenced by ambient, dub, and EDM, though. Sonically, the music is "clipped" The high end of each of the waveforms is cut off, and all that is left is a muddy sound which has a distinctive "other room" sound, which sounds like the base is thumping through a wall. The synthesizers are a lot clearer by contrast, and the singing stands above it all. Producer Evan Jones explains this technique: "We are simulating something that is going on in the background, you might be talking, you might be dancing, you might be screwing: what we are trying to do with this music is to make a sound that is both present and distant. The bass is that mud sound, but the rhythm and the vocals are up front, so you never lose the ethereal quality of a beautiful person breathing heavily in your ear." The most talented bands are able to incorporate moogs, sequencers, and turntables into their tracks, and several notable producers have emerged in recent years that can put out RF hits. Recording of RF records is a fairly arduous undertaking. The process of achieving the RF sound is accomplished by recording digital and electronic instruments on analog recording equipment. This necessarily limits all tracks to 32-tracks, though most RF artists use only 8 tracks to record songs. Mechanically, the tracks themselves aren't ver y complex, but musically, artistically, they are wonders of modern creation. The ambient atmosphere created by RF bands allows those who wish to dance to do so and those who wish to do other things to completely tune out the music. RF music is meant to simulate a futuristic robot-filled spacescape dreamed of by a drugged master mind: Sometimes the music is optimistically utopian and extremely sexual, and sometimes it is darkly sinister, and warning of ephemorality or deceptiveness of reality. The best RF tracks can do both at once. RF records tend to be conceptual albums, and almost always create a narrative Arc. Some albums are about unfulfilled promises of technology to satisfy human need and desire. Others warn about unchecked power, while others talk about human-robotic copulation and the new species that results. No topic is off limits, but themes almost always center on sexuality, the use of drugs to escape, a fear or a warning about oblivion, and an explicit rejection of the present as it is, in favor of a present which never happened. Singers often craft lyrics about time travel, and the implications of time travel. Most RF music is subversively political, and often comes down on the side of, if not the Socialist Party, at least Ethical Socialism as a theory. Additionally, RF records tend to not utilize gaps between songs, with one song either fading into another, or cold stopping a beat before the next track cold opens. Consequently, RF songs tend to not lend to radio airplay, and singles are few and far between. RF Bands and Records The following RF groups have made the greatest impact on Kalistani Music * Kelly Minelli * Das Crack * Devon and Waterfall * 12-Second Toaster * Syn-Biosis * Shogun Knife * Peligroso * Metzist Anihilation * Sunburn Bikini * Smokin Elga and the Automatic Egg Friers RF derivatives Given that RF is such a young genre of music in Kalistan, there have been only a couple different derivatives to date. As RF continues to progress by flirting with new genres, it is possible that this will change. Dub hop Dub Hop is RF that is heavy on Dub reggae elements. Dub Hop tends to feature more horn elements which are often produced as echoing effects. Dub Hop is almost completely studio based, and the Dub Hop scene is centered around producers, rather than artists. Often times, Dub Hop artists will produce dub "versions" of RF tunes, pitch shifted down and slowed. Given that RF usually maintains the "4 on the Floor, 125 BPM" timing of its EDM predecessor, Dub Hop removes the First and the Fourth beats, replaces the 4/4 timing with an electric piano, and emphasizes the 3rd beat, turning a straight RF tune into a reggae tune. Additionally, vocals are either completely scrubbed from the tracks, or re-recorded with a studio artist of the same sex, delivered as a "toast" rather than sung, where needed. Dub Hop also does not have concerts and is not played at clubs, but it is meant to be listened to at home. Dub Hop Listeners also tend to smoke more marijuana and do less powders than their club cousins. RF funk In 4413, as RF was making giant strides into the Kalistani Mainstream, a crossover Funk band which kept the aesthetic of RF culture but abandoned the EDM timing and instrumentation of RF burst onto the Scene. The derivation was led by the Bootzillas, and their leader Bootsy, a self described "Bionodizzle, Bizzle." The Bootzillas and other RF Funk bands are generally accepted in RF circles, though the crowds are often quite different. RF Funk bands don't often go into the Studio to record. Most of their recorded music is done live. And like their Dub Hop cousins, fans of RF Funk generally smoke marijuana rather than the other drugs that RF is known for. In many cases, the robot aesthetic is replaced at a RF Funk concert with a "Funk alien" aesthetic, with crazy glasses, multicolored hair extensions, and jumpsuits for men. Women tend to be more colorfully adorned than the standard RF woman, and prefer multicolored geometric or fishnet body suits at RF Funk Shows. 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